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A R C H I T E C T U R E + D E S I G N T O P : S E S C P O M P É I A . P H O T O G R A P H B Y F E R N A N D O S TA N K U N S . [ H T T P S : // C R E AT I V E C O M M O N S . O R G / L I C E N S E S / B Y- N C - S A / 2 . 0 / L E G A L C O D E ] B O T T O M : M U S E U D E A R T E D E S Ã O P A U L O ( M A S P ) . P H O T O B Y E D U A R D O O R T E G A . C O U R T E S Y O F M U S E U D E A R T E D E S Ã O P A U L O A S S I S C H AT E A U B R I A N D ( M A S P ) . P R O F I L E | L I N A B O B A R D I just as the tall buildings and green trees that surrounded the museum were brought inside by the glass walls that reached from floor to ceiling. A later commission, SESC Pompéia, completed in 1982, saw the architect achieve in practical terms, her dual missions—to create an active communal space, and to flex her unique preservationist approach, where the past was an active partner in the present. Here Bo Bardi re-cast a defunct metal barrel factory in São Paulo into a multi-purpose leisure and lifestyle destination for the working class neighborhood. From concerts and swimming, to dining, learning or reading in the cathedral-like cultural center, where water flows along the concrete floors, Bo Bardi's creation, 40 years later, still thrives as living monument to her ideals in action. Oficina. "I was not born here," she wrote of Brazil, "but I chose this country to live in. For this reason, Brazil is my country twice times over." But first, a home for her and Pietro. Casa de Vidro (Glass House) was designed and completed in 1951 on the outskirts of Sao Paulo. Perched atop a hill in the midst of the rainforest, supported by skinny pillars, the home was a stark and daring design: Glass formed the exterior walls, presented between horizontal concrete slabs. The interior living space was almost completely open, with a square, suspended courtyard in its center that enabled nature to grow upwards, into the home. "No decorative or compositional effect was sought in this house," she wrote, "as the aim was to intensify its connection with nature, using the simplest possible means, in order to have the minimum impact on the landscape." It was the first built work Lina realized solo, and she would live there with her husband until her death in 1992. By her precise design, the home served as a hub of work and entertaining for the Bo Bardis. They held events and hosted fellow artists and intellectuals in their residence, from Alexander Calder and Gilberto Gil to John Cage and Glauber Rocha. It was an ideal place to come together, surrounded by fine art and lush greenery. Today Casa de Vidro is the headquarters of Instituto Bardi, and as a landmark of Brazilian Modernist architecture, is open to the public. "The new Brazilian architecture has many flaws," Bo Bardi wrote in 1951. "It is young, it hasn't had much time to stop and reflect, but came into being all of a sudden, as a beautiful child." And it was with the same sense of play and wonder that she would actualize her ideal of social spaces: As living stages where humans would engage, commune and participate. When the doors of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)—one of the architect's most important commissions—opened in 1968, visitors were jolted to see famous works of art hovering over the main gallery: suspended on glass panels, rather than embalmed on static walls. In true Lina fashion, she had designed things so the art struck an active pose in the environment; 14 DIGS.NET | 4.21.23 # S S 310

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